Thinking about getting into raising your own cattle? Super! Cattle are wonderful animals. A farm, especially our farm, just isn’t complete with out a few cows. But how do you know if cattle are a good idea for you? Before deciding to raise cattle, you should know the upfront costs, the ongoing costs, where they…
Need a gate across your driveway to keep your cattle off the road? We do. The gates work fine, but also require seemingly constant opening and shutting. Options? There a few choices: getting rid of the livestock (No Way!), automatic gates (pricey) or the old school answer-a cattle guard. A cattle guard (also called grid…
How should you feed your small herd of cattle? Let’s look into feedlot vs pasture fed: why you would choose one over the other and what are the results of that choice. The main difference between feedlot cattle and pasture raised cattle is the feedlot cattle have their food brought to them, whereas, the pastured…
Looking for the best beef for your family yet confused about what all these labels mean? What is the real difference between grain fed, grass fed, naturally raised, pasture raised, organic, etc.? Grain fed beef is raised on grass and finished on grain and hay or grass. 100% Grass fed beef is raised and finished…
We all want the best tasting beef we can get! Often, it is confusing to sort through the opinions and propaganda to get to the results. What are the factors that really affect the taste of your beef? The most flavorful beef comes from animals that are raised in a low stress environment, are treated…
Herbivores or omnivores? When you are talking livestock sometimes this can be confusing to sort out. The good news is, (unlike people!), all cattle choose to follow the same diet plan. Cattle are herbivores. Herbivores are animals that are biologically designed to eat plants. Cattle, like all herbivores, have a specialized digestive system, specifically to…
At first glance, a cattle market report is a confusing jumble of numbers! No need to worry! Once you understand the way it’s written, it makes sense and provides you with quite a bit of information. A market report categorizes cattle by weight, condition and/or purpose and lists the prices that the cattle in each…
Considering getting a few head of cattle for your acreage? Great idea! Cattle are livestock that can work for you and feed you at the same time. Plus if you get breeding stock you will have extra animals to sell to neighbors or just the local auction to help you new hobby pay for itself….
Cattle and sustainability are huge issues right now. Everyone, from businesses to individuals want to be seen as sustainable. What, at least for livestock, does sustainable mean? And is it something we should be reaching for? Cattle are sustainable when managed appropriately. More importantly, cattle can be regenerative, when managed appropriately, which means properly managed…
Sometimes cattle can be seen doing a few unusual things, like eating dirt or staring at people. What are they up to and why? All cattle, regardless of breed, have certain behaviors we see them doing, like eating dirt or bellowing, that make us wonder what exactly are they up to. Life Of A Dairy…